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Ikiru

Released Mar 25, 1956 2h 23m Drama LGBTQ+ List
98% Tomatometer 55 Reviews 97% Audience Score 10,000+ Ratings
Mr. Watanabe suddenly finds that he has terminal cancer. He vows to make his final days meaningful. His attempts to communicate his anguish to his son and daughter-in-law lead only to heartbreak. Finally, inspired by an unselfish co-worker, he turns his efforts to bringing happiness to others by building a playground in a dreary slum neighborhood. When the park is finally completed, he is able to face death with peaceful acceptance. Read More Read Less
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Ikiru

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Ikiru

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Critics Consensus

Ikiru is a well-acted and deeply moving humanist tale about a man facing his own mortality, one of legendary director Akira Kurosawa's most intimate films.

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Critics Reviews

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Keith Uhlich (All (Parentheses)) Kurosawa’s masterpiece endures, still finding new ways to scare me and speak to me after all this time. —Guest post by Kenji Fujishima Jun 10, 2022 Full Review Dorothy Masters New York Daily News [Kurosawa] is implemented with satirical brilliance and fine human interest... Lassitude in bureaucracy and skullduggery in politics are here to stay, he concedes, and only does the soul of man transcend his frailties. Rated: 3/4 Sep 22, 2021 Full Review Mark Chalon Smith Los Angeles Times It illuminates a reeling society while telling a story of deep human emotion. Jun 12, 2020 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand Kurosawa directs his story without resorting to sentiment or rousing scenes of inspirational drama and Shimura delivers a quiet, introspective performance. It’s a beautiful, touching film... Jul 1, 2023 Full Review Howard Waldstein CBR Ikiru is a rare, potent film that earns every moment. Even with its carpe diem messaging, it does away with schmaltz and looks very seriously at the contradictions of earning a living, versus making a life. Jun 27, 2023 Full Review Robert Koehler Cinema Scope Sadness, inside a story of how a single man changes the course of his remaining days, has rarely been expressed with such grace and beauty. Aug 1, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Tom F Much stronger than the lazy 2023 English remake. I absolutely understand why movies like this and Tokyo Story are beloved by film buffs. It just doesn’t register that hard for me. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/17/24 Full Review Alec B Yes its deeply moving and beautifully filmed but it's also worth mentioning what an incisive and continually relevant critique of bureaucratic cowardice this movie is Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/24 Full Review Merick H A masterpiece from one of the greatest directors of all time. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/10/24 Full Review A R The 'what would you do if you only had X amount of time to live?' trope is pretty tired at this point, but Ikiru takes an incredibly inventive approach and has beautiful performances and excellent cinematography to bolster it. The third act in particular could've been skipped altogether, but does a great job engaging the audience further - sure you think you would change how you live, but would you really? It goes without saying that Shimura crushed this role - his consistently deflated expression holds so multitudes and it's genuinely hard to look at it. He was so pitiful it made me mad - I did not want to see his face anymore. I'm particularly fond of the scene where he goes to the parks department and just sits there making everyone uncomfortable with his tragic face. I also loved Odagiri's performance - she's such a real person despite a character archetype that often feels unreal, undeveloped, and fantastical (obviously the writing takes some credit for this as well). Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/23/23 Full Review Mikey H This film was so incredible. I resonated with that ending on a spiritual level. Easily my favorite from Kurosawa. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/12/23 Full Review Matteo P Those are the kind of movies which change your life. A masterpiece. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Ikiru

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Ikiru

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Movie Info

Synopsis Mr. Watanabe suddenly finds that he has terminal cancer. He vows to make his final days meaningful. His attempts to communicate his anguish to his son and daughter-in-law lead only to heartbreak. Finally, inspired by an unselfish co-worker, he turns his efforts to bringing happiness to others by building a playground in a dreary slum neighborhood. When the park is finally completed, he is able to face death with peaceful acceptance.
Director
Akira Kurosawa
Producer
Sojiro Motoki
Screenwriter
Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni
Distributor
Brandon Films Inc., Cowboy Pictures
Production Co
Toho Company Ltd.
Genre
Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 25, 1956, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 27, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$55.2K
Runtime
2h 23m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
Academy (1.33:1)
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